Worldwar

Upsetting the Balance

By: Harry Turtledove

Narrated by: Todd McLaren

Length: 25 hrs and 20 mins

Publisher's Summary

Communist China, Japan, Nazi Germany, the United States: they began World War II as mortal enemies. But suddenly their only hope for survival---never mind victory---was to unite to stop a mighty foe: one whose frightening technology appeared invincible.

Far worse beings than the Nazis were loose. From Warsaw to Moscow to China's enemy-occupied Forbidden City, the nations of the world had been forced into an uneasy alliance since humanity began its struggle against overwhelming odds. In Britain and Germany, where the banshee wail of hostile jets screamed across the land, caches of once-forbidden weapons were unearthed, and unthinkable tactics were employed against the enemy. Brilliantly innovative military strategists confronted challenges unprecedented in the history of warfare.

Even as lack of fuel forced people back to horse and carriage, physicists worked feverishly to create the first atomic bombs - with horrifying results. City after city joined the radioactive pyre as the planet erupted in fiery ruins. Yet the crisis continued - on land, sea, and in the air - as humanity writhed in global combat. The tactics of daredevil guerrillas everywhere became increasingly ingenious against a superior foe whose desperate retaliation would grow ever more fearsome.

No one had ever put the United States, or the world, in such deadly danger. But if the carnage and annihilation ever stopped, would there be any pieces to pick up?

©2009 Harry Turtledove (P)2010 Tantor

Critic Reviews

"Turtledove exhibits his genuine feel for crafting believable answers to historical 'what ifs.'" ( Library Journal)

Liked it!

I loved it but I'm a sucker for humanity kicking an unrealistic amount of alien ass.

Great story

Great story great for anyone who enjoys alternate history. Can’t wait for the next one

They just get better and better!

Turtledove does an excellent job at making you care for every character, even while accepting their flaws. From the leader of the alien invasion to his troops, to the human characters including the Soviets and even somehow the Nazis you feel for them all and hope they get through the fire alright in the end. And honestly you aren't sure how to feel about that. I can't wait to get the next one!

if I hear the reader mispronounce adjutant....

one more time, I am gonna pull my remaining hair out. Dang. You would think that someone who is reading military fiction would study that sort of thing. First time I heard him mispronounce it, I had to wonder what an ad-JEW-ent was. in later mispronounciations, he adds the t on the last syllable. Heck. Alexa gets it right. How was he allowed to mispronounce this word over and over and over?

best.. ending.. EVER!

so the war went extremly hot. this in itself is excellent. but the events in the ending? wow.. did not see that coming. Got to go, next book here i come!

Loved it!

I didnt know when i started this book that it was the 3rd in a series of 4 books, my mistake but it really didnt matter the book tells enough of the back story to fill in the past. Now to go back to the forst book. haha

Better Commutes

As is normally the case the longer you listen to a series of books, the more you invest in it. The story unfolds through the lives of various characters about whom we care. As a privileged observer we can predict what it's coming, but I for one still look forward to the train to and from work. Like sci-fi? You'll like this series.

Long, but Good

Long story but well thought out. Great audio for long trips or commutes. Looking forward to more of his books.

More a soap opera than a war story

It's so unfortunate because the performance is so great and some of the stories are really good and interesting. Unfortunately you have to stomach the other stories to get to them, and they're hardly worth the time.
Whilst certainly a step up from the previous novel, it leaves the listener impatiently waiting to get back to the better characters and stories instead of enjoying all of them

Could not take it after a while

What disappointed you about Worldwar?

I got hooked on reading the first in the series and I (reluctantly) pushed on to the end. I enjoy apocalyptic and sci-fi military themes so this seemed like a good choice. What hooked me was the idea that an alien invasion had badly miscalculated how quickly humanity could advance and when it arrived it ran into real resistance. Good stuff! However just about everything else became tedious. Honestly this idea is probably a two book idea at max - it sure feels like it was padded out big time to the current length. Dull human interest stories, stereotypical characters, sardonic commentary ALL the time (how many times does Atvar have to complain about humanities rapid advancement - apparently every time he opens his mouth), tedious explication of Nazis and the Jews etc etc Predictable. One dimensional. I made it to the end and refuse to follow up on the Colonization series. I refuse. I won't.

I give it two stars instead of one since the author seems to know his history.

Has Worldwar turned you off from other books in this genre?

No, but I am turned off all of Turtledove's books now.

Have you listened to any of Todd McLaren’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No. Its good since there are a lot of accents.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Worldwar?

I would edit it down to one large book. Cut almost all the human interest stuff, make the world leaders more realistic and spend more time on the geo-political and military aspects.

Great story

enjoyed every last letter of every last word, roll on the next book. let the story resume

This needs an HBO series

I love this series so much, almost got these books when the first came out but never did for some reason. I did find there was a little more jumping around and it made it a little more difficult to follow than the first 2. There were times when things got a little repetative or wordy and it spoiled the flow. I know that other's have criticised some of the accents and pronunciations but the narrator has a lot of work to do and I can forgive any flaws. Slightly disappointment with one aspect of the ending but I won't say what because others might feel differently about it.

Fun story, weird narration

A fun tale, but the narrator has absolutely no idea how to do British accents.

Very enjoyable

loved the story, yes it had its slow moments ( for me it was Lu han in China) but overall this was a great third story in this saga!

Really enjoyable

Would you consider the audio edition of Worldwar to be better than the print version?

Before I listened to worldwar I wasn't sure reworking history would work. But it does.

What does Todd McLaren bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

Really liked his narration, as good Scott Brick, my favourite from the Dune prequels